Cathedral State Park — Attraction in Oakland

Hiked the Red Trail with my son and grandson (8 years old). There are a few more trails that we didn't have time to walk. The rest room facilities had recently been winterized and weren't available. Fortunately they were not needed. The walk was very peaceful. There were some mild uphills and downhills. There are some places where rocks poke up, so keep your eyes on the trail or you will take a spill. Small streams meander around the trails, ferns dot the hill sides. Shafts of sunlight illuminate the undergrowth in spots. On a cold day, those warm areas fell mighty good. These trees are worth seeing. The following is taken from the park's website: "Over 170 species of vascular flora have been catalogued; to include 9 species of fern, 3 club moss, over 30 tree species (17 broad leaf) and over 50 species of wildflowers." You may have a stiff neck the next morning. Get out and see these trees while the are...

Very nice but neglected state park

Two adults visited here in mid-June 2023 for about three hours. We thoroughly enjoyed the time we spent hiking the well-marked trails through the old-growth giant hemlock forest. The last time we visited this park was about five years ago and much has changed for the worse. The Visitor Center/Park Office is no longer open, there are no trail maps or even signs showing the trails available, there are fallen trees over several of the trails (we had to climb over three) and the restrooms looked like they had not been cleaned in days. Luckily, we still had our older trail map to use. Note that this park is not quiet, as a major state highway goes through the edge of the park and cars/logging trucks can be heard everywhere except at the far end of the park. The traffic noise has definitely grown worse since our last visit, which is...

Cathedral State Park is small in terms of acres, but mighty in terms of its towering hemlock trees. It's wild to think about what was happening in our Country when those trees were starting to grow. Unlike some other W.Va. State Parks, the trails here are well marked and we spent a couple of hours wondering around. There is a spacious picnic pavilion if you want to pack a lunch. The bathrooms are clean and bright, with the light coming from the glass ceiling....if you think a glass ceiling makes it feel like a greenhouse in the bathroom, you would be correct. The Park is dog friendly. There are a lot of exposed roots, so wear sturdy shoes and...